The subject matter disclosed herein relates to cell profiling of biological samples. More particularly, the disclosed subject matter relates to determining one or more cell characteristics of the biological sample, including a distribution, type, heterogeneity, and/or location of cells within the sample.
Various methods may be used in biology and in medicine to observe different targets in a biological sample. For example, analysis of proteins in histological sections and other cytological preparations may be performed using the techniques of histochemistry, immunohistochemistry (IHC), or immunofluorescence.
Many of the current techniques may detect a presence or concentration of biological targets, e.g., biomarkers, without maintaining information about original location of those targets within the sample. For example, certain techniques involve processing the sample in such a way that the original location information is lost. Other techniques may involve assessing only a limited number of targets from a given sample Further analysis of targets may require additional sampling from the source (e.g., a repeated biopsy), thereby limiting the ability to determine relative characteristics of the targets such as the presence, absence, concentration, and/or the spatial distribution of multiple biological targets in the biological sample. Moreover, in certain instances, a limited amount of sample may be available for analysis or the individual sample may require further analysis. However, spatial distribution of biomarker expression or other features within a sample may be clinically informative.